Americans Need Help with Their How-To’s. They’re Turning to Google For Answers.
Last Updated on April 26, 2021 by Zoi Walker
Human curiosity never ceases. And during the last few decades, the World Wide Web has provided a platform for people to ask more questions than ever before. Most nowadays rely on a search engine and good internet network to provide answers to questions that may have once required a library visit or phone call.
Now that Google has made itself the expert resource for most things, CenturyLinkQuote.com conducted some research into what people are asking the search engine how to do the most. As we dug in, our researchers found that the most googled questions align with the whirlwind of events that have defined the past year, as well as other relevant topics of the current day such as:
- How do I file for unemployment?
- How do I backup my iPhone?
- How do I buy stock?
For example, the most common query in 5 states is “How do I save enough to retire?” According to PwC’s Retirement in America report, 25% of Americans have no retirement savings, and the other 75% may not have enough.
Curious what people in your state are asking Google how to do? We thought you might be. Just look below to find out.
Interesting Findings
In our quest to find out what piques Americans’ curiosity, we discovered some curious facts along the way:
- The most-searched query turned out to be, “How do I file for unemployment?” This was the most googled question in 14 states and the District of Columbia, which is unsurprising given that by December 2020, nearly 70 million Americans had sought unemployment benefits throughout the year.
- Idaho was the only state to search “How do I get a passport?” the most. This is an interesting query for Idaho, since Boise is home to a world-class airport (ranked 7th in a 2004 Global Airport Satisfaction Index Survey) that services nearly 2 million passengers every year.
- 4 states—Kansas, Missouri, New Mexico, and Texas—searched the query, “How do I say I love you in Spanish?” the most. This is no surprise for Texas, considering that 40% of the population identifies as Hispanic or Latino. In Kansas, 12% of the population identifies as Hispanic or Latino. In Missouri, 4% of the population identifies as Hispanic or Latino. About 48% of the population of New Mexico identifies as Hispanic or Latino, the largest statewide population share nationally.
- “How do I clear my cache?” had the highest search volume in 6 states, and is shown to have a lot of benefits associated with the query. The Massachusetts government website explains that without clearing your cache, “your browser may still use old files which can cause display or access problems.”
| State | "How do I" Question |
|---|---|
| Alabama | How do I file for unemployment? |
| Alaska | How do I file for unemployment? |
| Arizona | How do I back up my iphone? |
| Arkansas | How do I find my iphone? |
| California | How do I back up my iphone? |
| Colorado | How do I back up my iphone? |
| Connecticut | How do I save enough to retire? |
| Delaware | How do I file for unemployment? |
| District of Columbia | How do I file for unemployment? |
| Florida | How do I clear my cache? |
| Georgia | How do I back up my iphone? |
| Hawaii | How do I file for unemployment? |
| Idaho | How do I get a passport? |
| Illinois | How do I clear my cache? |
| Indiana | How do I clear my cache? |
| Iowa | How do I save enough to retire? |
| Kansas | How do I say I love you in Spanish? |
| Kentucky | How do I file for unemployment? |
| Louisiana | How do I find out my blood type? |
| Maine | How do I find my iphone? |
| Maryland | How do I back up my iphone? |
| Massachusetts | How do I clear my cache? |
| Michigan | How do I file for unemployment? |
| Minnesota | How do I save enough to retire? |
| Mississippi | How do I find my iphone? |
| Missouri | How do I say I love you in Spanish? |
| Montana | How do I file for unemployment? |
| Nebraska | How do I find my iphone? |
| Nevada | How do I file for unemployment? |
| New Hampshire | How do I file for unemployment? |
| New Jersey | How do I delete my instagram account? |
| New Mexico | How do I say I love you in Spanish? |
| New York | How do I find my iphone? |
| North Carolina | How do I clear my cache? |
| North Dakota | How do I buy stock? |
| Ohio | How do I back up my iphone? |
| Oklahoma | How do I find my iphone? |
| Oregon | How do I delete my instagram account? |
| Pennsylvania | How do I clear my cache? |
| Rhode Island | How do I file for unemployment? |
| South Carolina | How do I file for unemployment? |
| South Dakota | How do I file for unemployment? |
| Tennessee | How do I change my name on Facebook? |
| Texas | How do I say I love you in Spanish? |
| Utah | How do I find out my blood type? |
| Vermont | How do I file for unemployment? |
| Virginia | How do I save enough to retire? |
| Washington | How do I save enough to retire? |
| West Virginia | How do I find my iphone? |
| Wisconsin | How do I find out my blood type? |
| Wyoming | How do I file for unemployment? |
Methodology
CenturyLinkQuote examined the “How do I…?” queries with the highest search volume in SemRush. From there, we plugged each query into Google Trends to find out which question each state in the U.S. googled the most within the past 12 months.
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